Gold moves higher.

Gold edged higher on Friday, and was on track to post a weekly gain for fifth straight week, as fresh sanctions on Iran by the United States stoked uncertainty supporting demand for the bullion.

The targets of the sanctions included Iran's manufacturing, mining and textile sectors as well as senior Iranian officials who Washington said were involved in the Jan. 8 attack on military bases housing US troops.

Spot gold rose 0.4% to $1,557.86 per ounce by 2:12 p.m. EST (1912 GMT) and was up about 0.4% for the week. US gold futures settled up 0.4% at $1,560.1 per ounce.

Holdings of the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust, fell for...